04 Bayliner 185 108 OR 99 Four Winns 200?wn

[Slip Away]

Good luck with the B-liner sea trial. Hope it goes well.

Here is just one example of what "can" happen on an older/budget boat. Posted today on another forum.

"Hello everyone. I picked up a 1993 Horizon 190 2 months ago after selling my 87 regal 19'. Just wanted something newer styling with a built in swim deck. Well I got that purchased for $3400. The day after I bought it maiden voyage it shut off. Engine locked up due to improper winterization cracked block all the good stuff, it ran great on water muffs. Seller claimed he did it right and was not at fault. "

So new owner bought a re-built engine and is putting that in the boat, that cost him as much as the whole boat. So, buyer beware.

 

[Luke81]

Good luck with the B-liner sea trial. Hope it goes well.

Here is just one example of what "can" happen on an older/budget boat. Posted today on another forum.

"Hello everyone. I picked up a 1993 Horizon 190 2 months ago after selling my 87 regal 19'. Just wanted something newer styling with a built in swim deck. Well I got that purchased for $3400. The day after I bought it maiden voyage it shut off. Engine locked up due to improper winterization cracked block all the good stuff, it ran great on water muffs. Seller claimed he did it right and was not at fault. "

So new owner bought a re-built engine and is putting that in the boat, that cost him as much as the whole boat. So, buyer beware.

For sure! It's always a buyer beware type deal anytime you buy anything used but I'm hoping maybe something of a newer year (well, as new as an 04 can be) will reduce that risk a tiny bit. My last race car (just got out of dirt racing) made it about 3 laps before the "newly fresh" engine locked itself solid when the crankshaft welded itself to the rods. Hoping to avoid that, but I guess you never really know for sure what you're getting when it's been used.

On another note, I'm finding boat dealers to be an odd bunch. They're the least-aggressive sales people ever. I'm having to push and prod to get these guys to sell me something! One place has half a dozen boats sitting there I might be interested in and I've called them 3 times, and nobody has called back. Another place I drove an hour to and they didn't have most of the boats they list on their site, and what they did have were in really bad shape.

 

[Luke81]

Just to update, I ended up buying the Bayliner 185 Friday. Tested it out Friday morning and all was well, so it came home. Wife and I took it out for a little while Friday evening and had a nice time, then spent about 4 hours in the Gulf yesterday with it. So far I'm very pleased. It runs like a top, always fires off with no problems and is much quicker than I expected. It needs a couple little minor things. The steering is quite hard and has a little more free play than I'd like, I believe it may need a new cable. It does not have power steering so I do expect it to be stiff but in reading this seems like a common issue with this boat. The prop isn't perfect, and it's a little worse after I dinged it a little bit on the ramp. There stereo doesn't work, which is really a non-issue since I own a stereo shop and planned on totally changing out the system on whatever boat I bought. The trailer is a little worse for wear though. It's going to need tires soon and the winch broke on me while I was trying to load yesterday. Oops. That wasn't fun. But not a big deal. We floated around, we fished a little, we watched dolphins....not a bad weekend.

 

[Slip Away]

:thumb: Glad you found a boat to enjoy.

 

[jkust]

Just to update, I ended up buying the Bayliner 185 Friday. Tested it out Friday morning and all was well, so it came home. Wife and I took it out for a little while Friday evening and had a nice time, then spent about 4 hours in the Gulf yesterday with it. So far I'm very pleased. It runs like a top, always fires off with no problems and is much quicker than I expected. It needs a couple little minor things. The steering is quite hard and has a little more free play than I'd like, I believe it may need a new cable. It does not have power steering so I do expect it to be stiff but in reading this seems like a common issue with this boat. The prop isn't perfect, and it's a little worse after I dinged it a little bit on the ramp. There stereo doesn't work, which is really a non-issue since I own a stereo shop and planned on totally changing out the system on whatever boat I bought. The trailer is a little worse for wear though. It's going to need tires soon and the winch broke on me while I was trying to load yesterday. Oops. That wasn't fun. But not a big deal. We floated around, we fished a little, we watched dolphins....not a bad weekend.

As to the stiff steering, someone will correct me here but I don't believe that the 3.0 engine comes with power steering like the 4.3 and larger do. Congrats on being a boat owner.

 

[cptrick3]

I'm thinking of moving to Florida in the next couple of years, If that's what you get for 10 grand, I think I'll have to take my boat with me. 1994 Chaparral Signature 24 in great shape that I paid $9500 for about 2 years ago.

 

[Luke81]

I ended up getting this boat for $7200 cptrick3.

jkust, you are correct the 3.0 removes the power steering. So I expect it to be hard, but it was a little more than I'd like. I was able to get it much better by adjusting the little zinc fin on the outdrive as was suggested by some folks on another forum. At speed it's fine, it's just a bear going slow for docking, etc. I still feel there's far too much freeplay so I am going to replace the cable anyhow. The outdrive moves side to side probably an inch or a little more freely and in looking at the mechanism the freeplay seems to come between where the cable attaches in the back and the wheel itself. That translates into about 10-15 degrees of freeplay in the rotation of the wheel.